Cyril Ramaphosa may be wearing the wrong running shoes

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s three-year-old running shoes may be too small for him.

That could lead to his admirable fitness regime causing health issues, including back problems.

His Adidas Supernova Glide Boost 7 shoes are not currently available in South Africa.

President Cyril Ramaphosa shoes could be too small for him, and that could mean that his otherwise admirable drive to stay fit could cause him trouble down the line.

Ramaphosa was wearing Adidas Supernova Glide Boost 7 running shoes when he participated in the Soweto Marathon on Sunday, says Wane Rossouw from The Athletes Foot in the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town. He has also been seen in the same shoes during his now-famous morning walks across the country.

The Adidas Supernova Glide 7 model shoe has been updated to the new Solar Range since it was launched three years ago, said Rossouw. That means it will be hard to imitate the President.

“You might find some around [in South Africa], however, I very much doubt it,” he said. It would also make his shoes three years old, but that’s not the main thing.

“His foot also looks far too wide for the shoe – check the laces,” Rossouw told Business Insider South Africa.

Podiatrist Chris Delpierre agreed that Ramaphosa’s shoes are likely too small for him, which he warns could damage his toenails and cause calluses or corns.

“If you start walking skew, for example, you can develop back problems, but it really differs from person to person and the muscles that are affected.” However, he cautions that it would require a proper, in-person consultation to determine if the nation should be concerned about the first citizen’s footware.

Typical running shoes can be worn anything between a year to three years depending on usage, Van Onselen told Business Insider South Africa.

“If you tend to just walk in the shoes, like President Ramaphosa, the shoes can last you up to three years.”

The Adidas Supernova Glide Boost 7 shoes retailed for R1,679 when they were last available in South Africa.